What Doesn't Fly
by Latent Radiance
Summary: We knew this was coming. We knew this was to happen. It didn't mean it hurt any less once we finally figured out that we couldn't fly. Puzzleshipping One-shot


A/N: I wanted to write something sad today. Don't ask why.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of it's fabulous bishies.

Enjoy~

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I thought we would last forever. I thought that we would ride the waves together, never caring about whether or not we would ever see the end.

I guess I should've known better. I was merely a spirit who inhabited an inanimate object. I possessed your body without consent for more times that I could recount. You feared me from the beginning, though that was to be expected. I did kill or brutally wound anyone who dared to cross you. You didn't even have any memory of what happened, just a blank space in your mind. Of course it would scare you.

It was only when you cried out to your friends about how frightened you were about me, did I begin to realize how much of your beautiful light I was taking away from you. I forced myself to let you remember what happened between your control and mine. I stopped hurting others physically, and just did some reconfiguring on their minds so they would hopefully make a turn for the best.

You still feared me, though. You knew when I would take over, and even though you could witness everything as if you were still in control, you could not move or speak freely. That wasn't a huge problem until Duelist Kingdom. Until that duel with Kaiba.

Kaiba Seto. I never really liked the man, but I had always felt a pull whenever he was near. It was why I hadn't killed him when I had the chance back when you still had your memory lapses. But when Kaiba had slowly backed up so he was standing dangerously close to the edge, I felt regret for not taking those chances.

I wanted to win. Sugoroku's soul was on the line, and I knew how much he meant to you. I was willing to do anything to win, even make the final blow that would make Kaiba fly over the edge, taking that overly sized ego with him.

But you wouldn't allow me to. You were in conflict with even yourself. You knew if we surrendered, we would most likely lose whatever chance we had at gaining your grandfather's soul back. But if we attacked, Kaiba was going to die.

You were never one to harm. Your gentle nature had at first dumbfounded me when I had observed you after the completion of the Puzzle. Then it had angered me, since you had always this magnetic pull that attracted the worst kind of trouble. However, after watching you further, I began to love it. That kind reserve was just fitting for you, since you were my light and I your dark, who had used to own a violent and sadistic nature. We were meant to be opposites, and yet the same.

At that point on the roof, however, I started to hate your personality all over again. It was keeping me from making all the hard decisions. The decisions that I promised myself to never let you encounter.

So, I chose to ignore you. Roughly shaking your subconscious off of my arm, I called my attack. I thought you would back down, just like all the over times before. I thought that you would comply with me, would agree that this was the best option.

Oh, how wrong was I.

A sudden tug was the only warning I got, before a loud burst of voice that wasn't my own sounded, and I was thrown back into the Puzzle. You fell to your knees, tears of fear and shame falling from those perfect irises of yours. Guilt tore at my insides as I realized my mistake.

It wasn't until the final duel with Pegasus occurred did I get my chance of redemption. You confronted me in the hallway separating your mind with my own and proposed a plan that would allow us to win. I admit that I was hesitant to follow. I still worried that you had not forgiven me for my acts on the roof. However, you stilled those thoughts with a gentle reassurance through our link, and I took charge with a new confidence.

And then came the first time I felt fear. Pegasus had just called a Shadow Game, and you were losing energy at a rate that was too quick for my tastes. I told you to stay back, but you did not want to give up our perfect plan. Admiring your strong confidence, I let you continue.

Another mistake.

Your soul couldn't take it. After placing a card face down, you collapsed under the intense pressure. Fear ripped into my mind as your radiant light slowly faded, and I shook you feverously to get you to wake. And when you refused to open your beautiful eyes, I felt a rage so strong take hold, and I introverted back to my former self.

I defeated Pegasus, and you came back, albeit a bit weakly. Though I let you take over so you could reassure your friends that you were alright.

A few days afterward, we were cut off once again. Bandit Keith, one of the duelists back in Duelist Kingdom, tricked you into a duel. I was going to take over, but my senses told me to stay back. Something wasn't right. So, I allowed you to take over and defeat the man.

Sometime into the duel, Bandit Keith was revealed to be controlled by another. He wanted the Puzzle, which he had nailed to the side of the dueling platform. The power of the Pharaoh was what he desired, but neither you or I knew what that meant.

You fought on while I stayed impatiently inside of the Puzzle, watching with silent fears. Then the real Keith started to gain control, and he snapped like a twig. Grabbing a pipe, he smashed some circuits, the lashing sparks catching on the wooden walls and setting the warehouse on fire. Outraged, Keith's controller had him smash the Puzzle, effectively cutting me off from you and plunging myself into familiar darkness.

I could feel you trying to piece the Puzzle back to together despite the obvious fire around us. You wouldn't let me go. You would die if it meant to save me, an already dead spirit trapped in a golden pyramid.

You did solve it, and I could only watch as Jounouchi and Honda tried to pull the Puzzle free. Still weak from the shadows return, I could not take over your body to get you to safety. So, you passed out from the smoke and your friends eventually got the Puzzle free.

I didn't make any move to talk to you as you rested in the hospital. Your hands were scarred from holding the hot metal of the Puzzle for too long, and I refused to bring up the topic of how I could not save you from something as simple as a fire.

The next night, I could tell you were troubled. Not baring to see such a worried and confused expression on your face, I gently inquired on what was wrong. You spilled out your troubles about the fire and how I was almost lost forever. You didn't want to be separated from me ever again.

Neither did I.

You asked me who I was. I answered to the best of my ability, but I could not recall a name. Lost in thought, I began to mumble about how if you hold the Puzzle, I will stay by your side. Suddenly, you cut me off. You didn't want to talk about this. You wanted to talk about something else. Not about this…

Shocked at your sudden interruption, I could only stare. But upon seeing unshed tears in your eyes, I found myself smiling in understanding.

"I want to be with you always, even if I don't get my memories back."

What a childish thing to say. It was only a wish. A want verging on need. To stay like that forever. To be able to see your smiling face and laugh with your friends. To be able to comfort you when you needed it. To chat idly if you wanted. I would've been happy if we had just stayed like that. Even if I didn't act upon these growing desires building inside of me. I would've been happy.

And yet, we both knew. We both knew even before I said those words that we'll have to separate one day. One day, I'll have to leave. I don't belong in this world, after all. I am dead, and the dead need to move onto the afterlife.

But we didn't dare voice this out loud.

"Me too…forever." You murmured back, and I felt a warmth spreading. "I will…give you all of my memories." You let the tears start to fall, and I smiled softly. Silently, I moved forward so I was standing in front of you. My ghostly, transparent hands laid gently on your own, so we both held the Puzzle.

You looked up, and we shared a look. One that said we knew this would come to an end, but didn't ever want it to.

I found out that night that I love you. More than I should, since I won't be here forever. Though, at that moment, I could've cared less.

I've lost you three times. Once to Pegasus, another to a fire, and then to the Orichalcos. Every time I got you back safe and soundly. Every time we returned to the skies of blissful ignorance as the approaching date came ever near.

We knew this was coming. We knew this was to happen.

It didn't mean it hurt any less once we finally figured out that we couldn't fly.

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Ugh, why?! Why do I do these things? Why must I cause so much pain to my favorite little bishies…

Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this. Maybe the next one-shot I'll write will be happier, fluffy one...Maybe.

Please leave a comment on what you thought on your way out~


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